Starting a new career as a truck driver can be pretty exciting. It’s a respectable choice, and for many truckers it’s really more of a way of life than just another job. So how do you get started? Do you need to go to college or spend a lot of money on training programs? Here are three tips to help you get going as a truck driver in no time.
Get Your CDL
You will need to take some actual driving courses in order to get your commercial driver’s license (CDL) and drive large vehicles. It all starts with a written test to get your CDL permit. Your local DMV might offer testing at their main offices, but in some states you’ll need to go to a specific location designated for CDL testing. Be sure to study online before your testing date. And study all of the extra material for driving passenger trucks and tankers, even if you don’t expect to drive those types of vehicles. The more endorsements you can qualify for, the more opportunities will be open to you to advance your career.
Get Hired by a Local Company
In some cases, you might not even need to have a CDL to get hired. As long as you can get your permit, there are companies that will hire you right off the bat. They will even pay you while they train you on their own vehicles so that you don’t need to sign up and pay for driver training programs yourself. So you can actually get started immediately with little or no cost to you, and all of your training, vehicle and testing fees will get covered. That’s a pretty good deal.
Prepare to Operate Your Own Truck
Getting hired to drive for a local company is the best way to get your trucking career started. But at some point, you might want to get your own truck and start contracting for long-distance routes across the country or if you prefer to stay near home you can get a dump truck and contract for local loads. Start by putting away a part of every paycheck in a separate savings account that you simply do not touch for any reason. That is your future, so discipline yourself to save those dollars.
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You might also start learning everything you can about owning and maintaining your truck. If you can get some experience working on trucks with an experienced mechanic on your days off or even a part time gig working with truck body parts at a body shop—anything you can do to get more time working own trucks—that can help you prepare for the day when you have to take care of your own rig.
Getting started as a truck driver doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. Many local companies are hiring right now, and they’ll pay for everything to get you up and running. So start responding to job ads now while you study to get your CDL driver’s permit. By this time next month, you might be sitting in the cab of a commercial vehicle, getting paid to train for your CDL. It takes hard work and initiative, but there’s no reason why you can’t do it yourself.
Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband.
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